Singapore Ranked Best Country for Business

Singapore was ranked as the best country for business for the 7th year in a row by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Business Environment and Ranking Index. It secured the top spot because of an “efficient, open economy that works hard to maintain its competitiveness as a regional hub for global businesses”.

The index looks at 82 countries and judges them based on factors such as taxation, infrastructure, labor pool, and openness. Other countries included in the top five were Switzerland, Australia, Hong Kong and Sweden.

Singapore: World’s Best Country for Business

Despite being a small island, Singapore is the financial hub of Southeast Asia and the region’s largest exporter by value.

Singapore also ranked well in several other indexes in 2014. These include the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report (1st of 189), United Nation’s Human Development Index (9th of 187), and the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report (2nd of 142). These factors have especially helped make Singapore the best country for business.

Foreign companies and investors continue to flock to and invest in Singapore because of its low corporate tax rate of around 17%. Quality infrastructure, little bureaucracy, and a government eager to attract capital also work in Singapore’s favor.

In fact, Singapore is a manufacturing heavyweight despite being among the world’s smallest countries. The city state is a large exporter of pharmaceuticals and petrol.

Exxon Mobil announced plans to invest US$6 billion to build a petrochemical plant. The new complex will be the largest manufacturing investment in Singapore’s history. It will raise Exxon Mobil’s total investment in the city-state to more than US$10 billion.

But Steve Pryor, Exxon Mobil Chemical’s president, said that’s not the end of the story. He disclosed that the company is already planning to build more facilities in the country. “ExxonMobil views the Singapore complex as a platform for future growth,” he added.

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will further capitalize on Singapore’s status as a regional hub for business and trade. Greater economic cooperation in Asia will help all countries in the region, including Singapore.